Known for sharing her seemingly picture perfect family life with the world on her YouTube channel, “8 Passengers”, Ruby Franke broke the internet when she was arrested for the abuse of her children in August of 2023.
The influx of public attention to this case led to the creation of the Hulu docu-series, “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke”, in February.
The series predominantly features Ruby’s husband, Kevin Franke, and their two eldest children, Shari and Chad Franke. While this is not the first media coverage to come out of this case, it is the first time the public was able to view shocking deleted footage of the once beloved family’s channel.
The docu-series details the chilling case from the very beginning of the abuse until the very end while keeping the identities of the four youngest children anonymous. Interviews with the two eldest children were heartbreaking, raw testimonies of the emotional and physical abuse they endured from the hands of their mother.
“There’s still a lot of pain,” Kevin Franke told Rolling Stone. Nothing can erase the horrors of their childhood, but the Franke family is in a time of resurgence with each member finding their own way of healing. Shari even released a book, “The House of My Mother,” earlier this year accounting the details of this case from her own perspective.
If you or someone you know is in a situation similar to this one, don’t hesitate to call (800) 540-4000 (DCFS).
Lauren O'Connell • Apr 21, 2025 at 1:59 pm
Dear Corydon Editor,
On April 2, 2025, Kayla Castillo wrote an article titled “‘Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke’ Docu-series”. Ruby Franke is the mom of six children and a family blogger for a popular Youtube channel called, “8 Passengers”. In August of 2023 she was arrested for abuse of her children. Just as in 2025 they released a multiple episode documentary diving deeper into the case of Ruby Franke and the cruelty her children dealt with. Castillo does a great job of giving a brief summary for such a heavy story. As someone who has seen this documentary, I think Castillo did a great job on capturing the significant details that occurred in this series. Two of Ruby’s children spoke out in this documentary and even their father. I appreciate Castillo’s direct quotes from the show. In short, this article is very interesting and well explained for outsiders who would love to learn more about this devastating case.
Sincerely,
Lauren O’Connell
Kirshtein Bustillo • Apr 21, 2025 at 1:58 pm
On April 2, 2025, Kayla Castillo wrote an article titled “‘Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke’ Docu-series”. This article summarizes the background behind the production of this docu-series, as well as, what is depicted in the series. Castillo did an amazing job with outlining the series while not giving out too much information. After reading this article, I feel more drawn to watch the series, especially after reading about how the abuse was covered up for so long as they were popularly seen as a “picture perfect family.”
It’s nice that Castillo adds the family’s progress after the arrest since it shows how people cope with certain issues like this, and how the family is doing somewhat better than before. I think that it was also helpful to include the hotline in the article since it could provide aid to anyone who may be experiencing the same situation but does not have any resources. Overall, Castillo wrote a resourceful article that gives insight into the new Hulu movie and the context behind it.
Sophia Murillo • Apr 20, 2025 at 10:10 pm
This article reveals small details about the new Hulu docu-series that tells the story of the previously popular “8 Passengers” YouTube channel. The author was successful in revealing necessary background information needed to understand the series and rest of the article. By including quotes directly from the series, the author effectively communicated the main sentiment of the documentary. Moreover, I liked how the article included a link to the daughter’s book to become further educated as well as a phone number that can be used if people are going through a similar situation that is described within the article and docu-series. The abuse the family faced should not be the norm for people sharing their lives on social media, and for that reason it is important for articles such as this one to bring awareness to the issue to prevent repetition from others on the internet. Overall, this article was very well-written and informational.
Salma Cortes • Apr 10, 2025 at 3:51 pm
On April 2, 2025, Kayla Castillo wrote an article titled “‘Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke’ Docu-series”. In this article, Castillo informs the audience of a docu-series that came out recently of the recent scandal in August 2023 that resulted in the arrest of family influencer Ruby Franke. She begins by giving context on who Ruby Franke is and how no one was suspicious about what could happen behind the scenes since she portrays herself and her family as the cookie-cutter “perfect family”. Franke has been accused of abusing her children from the beloved family channel “8 Passengers”, in the documentary Castillo enlightens us about how in the documentary we will learn the perspectives of the oldest children, Shari and Chad Franke, as well as Ruby’s husband, Kevin Franke. She includes how this isn’t the first time a scandal has gotten media attention as each of them has expressed their trauma in different ways, for instance oldest daughter, Shari, wrote a memoir titled “The House of My Mother” which depicts her experience. Castillo does a great job intriguing her audience without spoiling the documentary, and not intrigues her audience in the scandal but she uses her article as a way to advocate for those who may be put in situations where they are physically or emotionally.
Keisha Redrico • Apr 10, 2025 at 3:26 pm
On April 10, 2025, Kayla Castillo composed an article entitled “‘Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke’ Docu-series.” This article effectively takes on an emotional and complex subject that provides empathy and clarity. A mention of there being deleted footage from the mother is genuinely terrifying and quite disturbing, which offers a great hook. It is truly heartbreaking to witness how a family so publicly idealized could shadow so much trauma behind the scenes. A critique I may imply is that an added brief description should be mentioned in the article to give the reader a better understanding of who this family is and what they are known for. Adding emotional engagement with a quote line from Chad or Shari’s interviews directly will offer the audience the feeling of empathy and sorrowness, which may enhance the article further. Overall, she was able to take on a very important and sensitive topic that can possibly encourage people who are going through the same thing to gain the voice to speak up about their experiences.
Mariana Jimenez • Apr 10, 2025 at 1:59 pm
Dear Corydon Editor,
On April 2, 2025, Kayla Castillo wrote an article titled “‘Devil in the Family: The Fall Of Ruby Franke’-The Docu-Series”. This was a well-written and powerful piece. You did a great job showing the shocking contrast between Ruby Franke’s public image and the reality behind closed doors. The way you introduced the Hulu documentary series was clear and helped me understand why it’s such a big deal. I especially liked how you mentioned the deleted footage-it made the story feel even more real and disturbing.
The interviews with Shari and Chad sound incredibly emotional, and I think you explained their experiences respectfully and powerfully. The quote from Kevin Franke added a strong emotional element that helped show how much pain the family went through. I also thought it was thoughtful to include the hotline at the end. It shows how important it is to raise awareness about this kind of abuse.
One suggestion I have is to maybe include a little more background on how the abuse was discovered. Great job overall!
Sincerely,
Mariana Jimenez
Adysen Domingo • Apr 10, 2025 at 1:58 pm
On April 3, 2025, Kayla Castillo wrote an article titled “´Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke´ Docu-series.” This article focuses on the recently released docu-series around Youtuber, Ruby Franke. In this case, Ruby Franke was arrested for abuse of her 6 children and this tragic news circulated throughout social media.
Kayla Castillo does a great job summarizing this case without going into full detail of all events. She also uses this example of Ruby Franke to inform the audience about abuse as a whole and advocates for promoting help if needed. The author also includes how the family is healing after the tragic situation. She details how the family is coping, and incorporates how the eldest daughter has written a book through her perspective.
This article was very interesting to me as I grew up watching family vlog channels. It is fascinating how social media does not show ones true life and in reality, their daily life isn’t perfect.
Raquel Martin • Apr 10, 2025 at 10:05 am
Dear Corydon Editor,
On April 2, 2025, Kayla Castillo wrote an article titled “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke” Docu-series. This article gives the audience information about a new series that just came out on Hulu. Castillo gives her audience a summary of the series and does a great job getting us hooked, but not revealing too much about it. She also uses this series to educate us about child abuse and even gives information if you or someone you know is experiencing something similar.
The author does a good job going into detail about the people involved and even has quotes of what they have said about the situation. She also includes how they are recovering and how the oldest daughter has even written a book telling her perspective of what has happened. Overall, she did a fantastic job telling her audience about a new interesting show. But also, how this is an unfortunate situation that other people have experienced.
Sincerely,
Raquel Martin